Voters in Detroit and four other Michigan cities passed referendums in November to reduce penalties for possession of marijuana.

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Political organizers behind easing laws against marijuana use have been quietly cheering since November.

That's when voters in Detroit and four other Michigan cities -- as well as residents of Colorado and Washington state -- passed referendums to reduce penalties for possession of the drug and, in a few cases, make it easier to obtain or grow.

Since then, activists for the change like Matt Abel of Detroit and Tom LaVigne of Grosse Pointe Park, partners in a Detroit law firm, have been relishing last fall's election victories in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Ypsilanti. Now, ...